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Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy X is the tenth installment in the Final Fantasy series. It follows the story of Tidus and Yuna and was the first Final Fantasy to appear on a sixth-generation console, namely the PlayStation 2. Due to Final Fantasy X's success and popularity, it spawned the first-ever direct game sequel to a Final Fantasy game: Final Fantasy X-2, released in 2003-04, which continued the events of Spira two years later through the eyes of Yuna. This came about as the result of an initial concept of spinning off Yuna and Rikku into individual titles of their own, which was later combined into one game. Final Fantasy X is the first in the series to use full voice acting instead of the previous method of scrolling subtitles. The implementation of voice acting limits the player's ability to change the characters' names and Tidus is the only playable character, apart from Aeons, whose name can be changed. Gameplay The Sphere Grid Character growth is undertaken by use of the Sphere Grid. By gaining AP from battles and collecting different types of spheres, characters move through the grid, raising stats and learning abilities. The sphere grid allows the player to evolve and take on "mixed" abilities meaning they can learn a wide array of Black Magic, White Magic, Defense and Attack skills. An extra grid was included with the International Version (see below), which has 45 fewer nodes, and undefined paths for each character. Battle System Unlike the past few games where the battle system used ATB, Final Fantasy X uses the Conditional Turn-Based Battle (CTB) system, or the Count Time Battle system in Japan. At its most basic, CTB is a turn-based system, which does not operate in rounds; the order of the turns does not guarantee each participant in a battle will have an equal number of turns. Characters with higher speed will be able to take more turns than slower characters, thus making speed much more important than in other turn-based battle systems. Furthermore, spells and abilities (such as Haste) can modify the turn order (called the Act List), as some abilities require a longer cool down time. In general, weaker abilities tend to require less cool down time, thus introducing a trade-off between speed and power. The system is distinguished from Active Time Battle system by the fact that when a character's turn begins, all action stops while the player decides upon an action. This shifts the focus from reflexes and quick decision-making to strategy and careful planning. Unlike in previous games in the series, the player is able to change characters on the go during battle. Mini-games *'Blitzball' - The feature minigame of Final Fantasy X is Blitzball, a cross between soccer and water polo, played entirely underwater in a giant sphere pool at Luca. Recruiting players is another big part of Blitzball. Getting new and better players, and knowing who to cut and when, can be the thing that makes or breaks the team. *'Chocobo Racing '- Featuring less predominantly than in previous games, Chocobo training and racing game can be played the Calm Lands. The player participates in several challenges to train a Chocobo and then uses those skills to race another Chocobo at Remiem Temple. *'Monster Arena' - When fiends from all over Spira are captured using special weapons, they appear in the Monster Arena, also located at the Calm Lands. These fiends can be fought at any time (for a fee), and certain combinations can be bred into tougher enemies. *'Celestial Weapons' - Each playable character in the game has their distinctive Ultimate Weapon, which require some hard work and traveling to acquire. *Most locations also have their own smaller minigames, such as the Butterfly Hunt in Macalania, and the Valley of the Cactuars in the Bikanel Desert. See each location page for more details. Characters Final Fantasy X features seven playable characters, who are slowly assembled when their journey is just in the beginning stage. One temporary character is playable during only one battle, after which he becomes a major antagonist. *'Tidus' is the main protagonist, a Blitzball player from Zanarkand who is suddenly sent to Spira following Sin's destruction of his hometown. With seemingly no way of knowing what has happened to him, he joins Yuna on her pilgrimage in order to learn about the conflict he has been dragged into. *'Yuna' is the main female protagonist, a Summoner who is on a pilgrimage to defeat Sin, accompanied by her guardians. She is armed with great power and determination as she learns how she can save her tortured world. *'Auron' is a mysterious man who watches out for Tidus and Yuna. He has been hailed as a legendary guardian, due to accompanying Braska on his pilgrimage to defeat Sin ten years ago. However, his seemingly cynical nature might just hide the truth he witnessed then. *'Kimahri' is a Ronso, the only non-human member of the party, who befriended Yuna when she was a child. Though disgraced by his tribe, Kimahri wishes for nothing more than to keep Yuna safe. *'Wakka' is one of Yuna's childhood friends from Besaid. As captain of the infamously pathetic Besaid Aurochs, he has resolved to retire from Blitzball and join Yuna on her pilgrimage, bringing along his good-willed cheer. *'Lulu' is one of Yuna's childhood friends from Besaid. A Black Mage who had accompanied Summoners on their failed pilgrimages, she is quite intelligent when it comes to the world of Spira, and her frequency to scold others only shows how much she is concerned for her companions' safety. *'Rikku' is a spunky Al Bhed girl. As Yuna's cousin, she too wants to protect her, although the Al Bhed's plans involve attempting to kidnap the Summoner. But Rikku does have reason for this, considering the risks Yuna is taking on for wanting to defeat Sin. Story Final Fantasy X begins , starting with the party sitting around a campfire in silence. Just beyond the horizon is a ruined city, covered in pyreflies. Tidus, the game's central hero, begins to retell his story of how he reached this place in his life. He gives background narration for much of the game. To Spira Tidus's story begins in Zanarkand, an advanced futuristic city filled with high technology. He is first seen signing autographs for fans, thinking it is a normal day as the star player for his Blitzball team, the Zanarkand Abes. In the middle of the match, a mysterious wave enters the city destroying everything on its path, and the only person undisturbed by it is a man named Auron, a man who has acted as a mentor to Tidus since Tidus's father, Jecht, disappeared ten years ago. Tidus meets up with Auron outside the Blitzball stadium, but when Tidus is following Auron he is shocked to see time stop, as a small boy in purple robes appears to him speaking enigmatic words he does not understand. Once time restarts, the boy is gone and Tidus continues after Auron. Auron, who always seems to know more than he would say, reveals the force destroying the city is called "Sin". At this point Auron reveals a sword that Jecht gave him, to give to Tidus. Auron and Tidus join together to fight the invading monsters on a city highway, and succeed in slaying Sinspawn Ammes. When they reach the mouth of Sin itself, Auron allows both himself and Tidus to be sucked up into its maw. Tidus loses consciousness, but sees a brief vision of his father. When Tidus awakes, he finds himself in an unknown underwater ruin. He escapes from some fiends, then makes a fire to ward off the frigid air. He is faced by a Klikk, but mid battle a group of strange people blow through the door. The leader of the group helps Tidus with the battle. Tidus tries to thank his helpers, but they speak a language foreign to him. The people capture him and bring him to their ship. Bewildered, Tidus demands to know what is going on. A friendly girl named Rikku reveals they are Al Bhed, a faction of people who use the forbidden technology called Machina. But for Tidus to earn his keep, he must work to stay. He is accompanied by Rikku down to an underwater salvage operation. Once the dangerous mission is completed and they return to the ship, Sin appears once more, knocking Tidus off the ship. Tidus finds himself once again at an unknown location, but this time it is a sunny beach and he is glad to see something familiar: a group of islanders playing his sport, Blitzball. After showing off his impressive skills, the islanders flock around him. The leader of this group, Wakka, is especially helpful, explaining to Tidus he has arrived at Besaid, an island in the land of Spira. He is unnerved when Tidus mentions his home city's name, Zanarkand. Wakka chalks up Tidus's behavior to his recent encounters with Sin, and explains Sin is a monster that rose about a thousand years ago and destroyed Zanarkand as a result of a war between the two biggest cities at that time, Zanarkand and Bevelle. Wakka leads Tidus to the town center, hoping to have him join his Blitzball team, the Besaid Aurochs. The team has not had any wins in Blitzball tournaments in twenty-three years, and desperately need Tidus's help; even more so now that Wakka is planning to leave the team to become a Guardian. Tidus accepts and joins the Aurochs. After wandering around the town and speaking to the townsfolk, Wakka takes Tidus into the Temple, a branch of the Spiran religion, Yevon. Whilst there, Tidus learns that the Summoner who has begun her trial in the Temple has taken unusually long. Despite the priest's orders to stay out, Tidus goes through the Temple's Cloister of Trials in the hopes of rescuing the Summoner. Meeting up with her Guardians, the lion-like Ronso, Kimahri, the black mage Lulu, and Wakka, Tidus makes it in time to see the Summoner, Yuna, exit the Chamber of the Fayth and is immediately struck by her beauty. sword from Wakka.]] Outside the Temple, Yuna summons her first Aeon, Valefor. She shows interest in Tidus's story of his origins in Zanarkand, and wishes to hear more. That night he overhears Lulu berating Wakka over his interest in Tidus. She believes Wakka is only protecting him out of memories for his dead brother, Chappu, whose face resembles Tidus's. Her thoughts may not be misplaced, as Wakka gives Tidus Chappu's former sword, Brotherhood. The Pilgrimage The Guardians head out with Yuna on her Pilgrimage, a sacred journey across Spira to attain the Final Aeon, the only weapon that can defeat Sin. They take Tidus along out of hopes that somebody will recognize him at the Blitzball Tournament. They set out on the S.S. Liki to reach the Temple in Kilika. Tidus and Yuna get another chance to talk, and Yuna reveals she believes Tidus's story, and also that Tidus's father had arrived on Spira ten years before and claimed the same. Yuna is revealed to be the daughter of Braska, the High Summoner who last destroyed Sin with the help of Auron and Jecht. During the journey, Sin appears to be in route to destroy Kilika. The party fights a battle against Sin's fin, but fail to do any real damage. Sin continues on its attack, and levels Kilika. When the group reach the town, they find it in ruins. Yuna, performing another role of a Summoner, "Sending" the souls of those killed in the attack. Those who die in Spira leave behind Pyreflies, that, unless Sent by a Summoner, will become fiends. The party continues forward to the next Temple to gain the Fire Aeon Ifrit. With the first part of the journey complete, the Pilgrimage moves to the city of Luca, the second largest city in Spira, and the location of a massive Blitzball tournament. Maester Seymour Guado and the elder Grand Maester, Yo Mika personally overlook the tournament. Much to Tidus's dismay, Yuna shows admiration to Seymour, a young Maester with high popularity. During the first match Yuna is kidnapped by the Al Bhed Psyches in order to force the Aurochs into surrendering the match. While Wakka plays, Tidus goes with Lulu and Kimarhi to hunt them down. After rescuing Yuna from the Al Bhed by defeating the Oblitzerator, Tidus learns Yuna is half Al Bhed. After Lulu sends a signal to Wakka, he wins the game just in time, ending a 23-year losing streak without Tidus's help. The next Blitzball match is against the Spiran Champions, the Luca Goers. After the match, a group of fiends is unleashed upon the stadium. Tidus and Wakka go off to fight the beasts and are given the surprise aid of Auron. The rest of the fiends are dispatched by Seymour's Aeon, Anima. Yuna, along with thousands of spectators, is left in awe of the power of Seymour's Summon. Auron takes Tidus away to speak to him alone. He makes a terrible revelation to Tidus: "Sin is Jecht". Dumbfounded by this apparent impossibility, Tidus refuses to accept it. The Pilgrimage continues up the Mi'ihen Highroad, but with two new Guardians: Auron and Tidus. At the tip of the Highroad, the party finds the entire area under occupation by the Crusaders, the military arm of Yevon. Under the command of Seymour and his fellow Maester, Auron's former friend, Wen Kinoc, the Crusaders join forces with the Al Bhed in an attempt to defeat Sin. Wakka, being orthodox to the teachings of Yevon, and resentful of the Al Bhed, is furious over this plan. Auron simply stands back, knowing the plan will fail. Operation Mi'ihen, as its called, turns out to be a complete disaster. Hundreds of Crusaders are killed as Yuna and her Guardians watch, trying their best to help in the fight. Following the defeat, Yevon covers its involvement by blaming the defeat on the Crusaders' heresy. Auron explains to Tidus the only reason why Sin truly came to Mi'ihen was to see his son. The party leaves the battlefield unable to describe their feelings over the tragedy. The party enters the temple of Djose to gain the Aeon Ixion and hear of rumors that Summoners are being kidnapped. The party continues to the Moonflow, a river that flows through Spira. While crossing on a Shoopuf, Wakka points down to the sunken ruins of cities below the waters as perfect examples of what happens to people who use the hubris of Machina. During his story, an Al Bhed abducts Yuna into the water, but she is rescued by Tidus and Wakka, who destroy the Machina holding her captive. Reaching the other side of the river, they run into Rikku, who was the pilot of the destroyed machine. Rikku turns out to be Yuna's cousin, though Wakka is completely unaware of both Rikku's and Yuna's Al Bhed heritage. Rikku joins the party as Yuna's sixth guardian, with the blessing of Auron, who is aware of her race. The party moves to Guadosalam, the city of the Guado, a race of elf-like humanoids of which Seymour is the leader. He invites the party to his mansion where he tries to woo Yuna and shows them a Sphere recording of Tidus's Zanarkand. Within the vision is the first Summoner to defeat Sin, Lady Yunalesca. Seymour goes on to propose marriage to Yuna, much to Tidus's chagrin. Yuna avoids answering, and instead takes her party to visit the Farplane, the land of the dead where pyreflies gather to form images from the memories of a mourner of their lost loved one. Rikku believes the entire thing to be nothing more than an illusion, and so chooses not to enter. Auron stays behind as well, though does not give a reason. Inside, Tidus finds his father Jecht does not appear, meaning that he may very well be alive as Sin. However, Tidus accidentally summons the image of his mother, who Yuna explained must have accepted death once Jecht left. While leaving, Seymour's father, Jyscal Guado leaves the Farplane as an Unsent, a ghost created by a person who dies an unclean death. Yuna immediately Sends Jyscal, during which Auron falls upon his knees, somehow weakened by the ceremony. A sphere appears, which is promptly snatched up by Yuna. After privately viewing its contents, Yuna announces she has decided to accept Seymour's offer of matrimony. Difficult Truths The party moves through the Thunder Plains to the temple of Macalania to gain the Ice Aeon Shiva. While there, they are met by Tromell, Seymour's butler who leads Yuna into the Temple to prepare for the wedding, but not before being ambushed by the Al Bhed, who try to stop the pilgrimage from continuing and unleash a powerful machina, the Crawler. Wakka learns about Rikku being an Al Bhed, and promptly expresses his disgust at the "heathen." Tidus tries to tell Wakka Rikku is not just some Al Bhed, and that she is actually a good person, that Rikku "is just Rikku." Angry that no one would take his side, Wakka heads to Macalania temple by foot while everyone else rides on Machina. Depending on the affection levels during the game, Tidus will either ride with Rikku, Lulu, Auron or Kimahri. If Tidus rides with Rikku, he will learn Rikku and Yuna are cousins, and Rikku will explain why Al Bhed want to protect all the Summoners during the pilgrimage, and tells him they sacrifice themselves too well to bring happiness to Spira, though Tidus is oblivious to the meaning of the latter. If he rides with Lulu, he will come to understand Wakka's hatred towards the Al Bhed, which stems from Chappu's death. He will ask Lulu if a human can ever become Sin and she will finally believe the fact Tidus comes from a world without Sin. Inside, the party comes upon the sphere Yuna had retrieved, which shows Seymour murdered his father in order to succeed him as Maester. The party confronts Seymour outside the Chamber of the Fayth and kill him. Tromell appears and takes away Seymour's body before Yuna can Send him and breaks the Sphere that proves Seymour's crimes. The party flees the temple with Guado soldiers in pursuit. They manage to escape when a fiend, Wendigo, causes them to fall through the icy Lake Macalania. Landing on top of a docile Sin, the party is knocked unconscious when it begins to stir. Awaking in a desert on the island of Bikanel, Tidus finds himself alone by an oasis. Though he manages to round up his fellow Guardians, he cannot find Yuna. Rikku suggests the group go to the Al Bhed capital, the city of Home, which is under siege by Guado forces. Fighting through the invasion, the party finds the Summoners Dona and Isaaru, both taken by the Al Bhed into the Summoners' Sanctum. Tidus suffers an emotional breakdown after he discovers the terrible truth behind the Pilgrimage, the reason why the Al Bhed try to impede the Summoner's quest for the Final Aeon at every turn: the Summoner will die after the Final Summoning and Yuna will meet the same fate if she continues her journey. Fighting together with the Summoners, the group makes its way to the Al Bhed airship captained by Rikku's father, Cid, which happened to be the very ship Tidus and Rikku salvaged near the game's beginning. The ship takes off with most of the Al Bhed people on board, having been forced to abandoned their homeland. Cid decides to blow up Home with the airship in order to take out the invading forces. While on the airship, the party learns Yuna has been taken by the Guado to the Unsent Seymour to be married. The party finds Yuna at the Yevon capital city of Bevelle, where she is in wedding gown to be joined with Seymour. Fighting through the city's defense, the guardian wyrm Evrae, Tidus and his group land to break up the wedding. They fight hard against the heavily-armed Yevon soldiers and their machina, and manage to force their way down to the Cloister of Trials where they gain the Aeon Bahamut, and are then arrested. Yuna and her Guardians are put on trial by the Maesters where they attempt to press their case, claiming that Seymour should be Sent to the Farplane. To their surprise, Grand Maester Yo Mika, too, is an Unsent. It seems they are completely without allies, except for the Ronso Maester, Kelk Ronso, who leaves Yevon shortly afterwards. While imprisoned in a cage, Auron reveals to Tidus the hideous truths behind the Pilgrimage. The Summoner must sacrifice themselves in order to defeat Sin, but the defeated Sin will always return, leaving Spira in a cycle of death that will continue forever. Yuna and her Guardians are sentenced to the Via Purifico, a dungeon that is said to be inescapable. While most of the party is detained in the top part of the labyrinth, Tidus, Wakka and Rikku are located in the underwater sewers. They are then forced to fight Evrae Altana, an undead wyrm. On the top part, Yuna is confronted by Isaaru, who places his loyalty to Yevon above his friendship to Yuna. The two duel with their Aeons, but Isaaru is soundly beaten. Though his life is spared, his Pilgrimage ends in defeat. Making their way to the exit of Bevelle, the party finds Seymour standing over Kinoc's corpse. Though betrayed by his old friend, Auron is still angered by Kinoc's murder. Using Kinoc's life force and his bodyguards, Seymour transforms into a monster, Seymour Natus, and is once again defeated by the party. Leaving Bevelle for the Macalania Woods, Yuna, her faith in Yevon shaken, goes off into the woods to be alone, and Tidus follows. He finds Yuna in the spring, and, revealing that he knows the truth behind the Final Summoning, apologizes for constantly talking about life after defeating Sin, believing he had only depressed Yuna by doing so. However, Yuna stops him, saying his words had in fact made her happy. Tidus attempts to persuade Yuna to quit her pilgrimage and stay with him, and, though tempted, Yuna ultimately decides she cannot simply allow Sin to run rampant across the world; Yuna breaks down in tears and Tidus moves to comfort her, and they embrace and share a passionate kiss. They return to the party to continue their journey into the Calm Lands and later to Mt. Gagazet. Before crossing Gagazet, Kelk and his tribe of Ronsos give Yuna their blessing, after witnessing her resolve and courage. Tidus talks to Rikku, now that they are getting close to Zanarkand, about what is going to happen to Yuna. Because they are both afraid, Tidus and Rikku plan to find a way to save her. Shortly afterwards Seymour attacks the Ronsos and many are slaughtered. The party struggles through the frigid mountain before they run into Seymour again, this time as Seymour Flux. He reveals his true plan: to save Spira from its cycle of death by becoming Sin, and then completely wiping out all the people. Tidus considers him insane and, despite Seymour's growing powers, he is again defeated. After the battle, the party learns of Sin's identity as Jecht. They come upon a strange sight, a fountain of Fayth lost in dreams. Tidus is suddenly struck by a vision of him returning to his Zanarkand. While there, he sees the little boy in purple he saw in the beginning of the game. The boy reveals himself to be the Fayth of Bahamut. He gives Tidus revelations more shocking than anything before: Sin was created to leave Spira forever backward, so that Tidus's Zanarkand could live forever without being detected. In fact, the Zanarkand Tidus hails from is nothing but a dream created by the Fayth. Tidus, Jecht, and everybody else from that city, are nothing but dreams, who will cease to exist once Sin is truly defeated. Bahamut's Fayth asks Tidus to defeat Sin, so that the Fayth can be freed of the burden of constantly keeping "Dream Zanarkand" alive. Tidus accepts, even while knowing that doing so will mean his death. After he returns to consciousness, Tidus keeps his vision to himself. After passing through Mt. Gagazet, the party comes to the real Zanarkand where the Pilgrimage is to end. The story catches up with the beginning, and Tidus's retelling of the events that led him here ends. The party enters the Zanarkand Ruins, which lead them into the Zanarkand Dome. The pyreflies are so thick they can see visions of past Summoners who came through to defeat Sin. Oddly, they also see a vision of a child Seymour, whose mother gives up her life to become Anima. They meet with Yunalesca, who is now an Unsent after her battle with Sin, and learn that in order to create the Final Aeon, a Guardian must be sacrificed as its Fayth. They also see into the past, in Braska's Pilgrimage, where Jecht decided to give up his life to become the Final Aeon. Yunalesca tells them more unsettling truths: The Final Aeon can only defeat Sin for a short time, for after the old Sin is destroyed, Yu Yevon, the evil Summoner spirit that controls Sin and the Fayth of Dream Zanarkand, will possess the Final Aeon and use its body to create Sin anew. Thus whoever becomes the Final Aeon will later become Sin, and the cycle of death will continue. Yuna refuses to take part in this cycle. Yunalesca believes that without faith in the Final Summoning, Yuna will eventually succumb to despair, and decides to kill her and free her from such a fate. Just before the battle, the party sees Auron from the past. Horrified after Braska's death and Jecht's transformation, Auron went to confront Yunalesca and was killed, making him an Unsent. In the present time, he rallies his team to attack Yunalesca. Though Yunalesca is powerful, and grows into increasingly grotesque forms, the party prevails and destroys her, forever ending any hope of gaining the Final Aeon. Defeating Sin With Yunalesca gone, the party needs a new way to defeat Sin. Cid and his airship arrive to pick them up, and they brainstorm on a strategy. Yevon is in chaos with the death of so many Maesters and Tidus and his party land in Bevelle during the crisis to meet with Yo Mika. To his dismay, Mika learns they have not gained the Final Aeon, and in fact had eliminated it for all eternity. Feeling that Spira is doomed to be destroyed by Sin and the despair it engenders, Mika departs for the Farplane. The party comes up with a plan to beat Sin. They will distract Sin by having all of Spira sing Jecht's favorite song, the "Hymn of the Fayth". While Sin is stopped, the party will attack on the airship. The attack begins as planned, with the airship's laser cannons blowing off both of Sin's fins. After destroying the Core, the monster falls onto the city of Bevelle, seemingly beaten, but it recuperates, grows wings and flies into the air and charges straight at the airship, ready to destroy the party on board. Luckily the party manages to stop Sin in its charge, and the monster opens up its mouth to suck in the airship. While going inside the monster, they meet Seymour laughing over his impending victory. Within Sin, the party finds the monster holds an entire dungeon filled with Fiends. Fighting through them, they reach Seymour to battle him one final time. Despite yet another powerful form, Seymour Omnis, Seymour is defeated yet again. With nowhere to run, Yuna Sends the rogue Maester. Before disappearing, Seymour reveals he is glad it was Yuna who finally defeated him, but that even if they defeat Sin, Spira's sorrow will continue. Tidus vows not to let this happen. Moving deeper into Sin, the party finds themselves in a place similar to the Blitz Stadium from Dream Zanarkand. Tidus is finally reunited with his father and though Jecht only has a short time left before his mind fully becomes Sin's, he shares a moment with his son. Jecht turns into Braska's Final Aeon, Sin's true form. The party ends Jecht's life, and saves him from the nightmare of being Sin. Jecht says goodbye to Tidus, and even scolds him for crying. However, the battle is not won yet. Yu Yevon, requiring an Aeon to inhabit, takes over Yuna's Aeons one by one. The party has to destroy each one as Yu Yevon possesses them. With nowhere left to run, Yu Yevon himself appears. The great scourge of Spira is revealed to be little more than a floating bug-like creature. The party destroys Yu Yevon, and forever defeats Sin, saving Spira from the cycle of death it was trapped in. Auron, with his mission complete, requests that Yuna Send him, which she does with a heavy heart. Tidus, too, begins to disappear. With the Fayth retiring from their thousand-year dream, Tidus fades from existence. Though Yuna tries to embrace him, she falls right through him. Yuna proclaims her love for him (in the original Japanese version she only thanks him), and though he is fading away, Tidus is able to embrace her. He says goodbye and jumps off the edge of the airship, falling into the clouds, where he sees Braska, Auron and Jecht waiting for him. As he falls, he high-fives Jecht, symbolizing that he has reconciled with his father. Epilogue Afterwards, Yuna makes a speech at the Luca Blitzball Stadium about Spira's future; Sin is finally dead, and Spira is theirs again, after 1,000 years of terror. The Eternal Calm has begun, and Yuna resolves to aid in the reconstruction of the world. Right before the credits roll, she says, "The people and friends that we have lost, and the dreams that have faded, never forget them." After the ending credits, a final cutscene shows Tidus waking up in the depths of the ocean and swimming back to the surface, with a smile on his face. This scene is explained in Final Fantasy X-2 if certain conditions are met. Themes Final Fantasy as a series had always had somewhat of a "foreign" feel from the Japanese point of view, the first games of the series taking place in a medieval "European" setting with kings and queens and castles and knights in shining armor. When the settings moved toward a more modern atmosphere, foreign influence was still strong with Final Fantasy VII originally imagined to take place in the real life New York City, and many locations in Final Fantasy VIII modeled after real world European locations. Final Fantasy X is a break from this theme by being pointedly South East Asian in its feel, most notably with respect to vegetation, topography, architecture and names. Producer Yoshinori Kitase felt that if the setting went back to a medieval European fantasy, it would not help the development team advance. While he was thinking of different world environments, scenario writer Kazushige Nojima suggested a fantasy world that incorporated Asian elements. Many fans had responded negatively to the sci-fi elements of some previous Final Fantasy games, and with Final Fantasy X the developers wanted to expand the fans' definition of the word "fantasy," by taking a different route from the "medieval Europe" fantasy setting so commonly seen in RPGs. "Beyond Final Fantasy" bonus DVD included in the International version of Final Fantasy X For example, ''Final Fantasy X was the first Final Fantasy game to have its theme song sung in Japanese, and instead of being a pop song, "Suteki da ne" is a traditional Japanese folk song; one of the characteristics of traditional Japanese music is a sparse rhythm and how it doesn't have regular chords. The music is intended to flow, in an attempt to reflect the feeling of nature. The tempo usually starts out slow and gets faster, returns to being slow again, and has a drawn-out ending. The intention to capture an Asian feel is also evident in the character designs, with the basis for Yuna's design being that of Okinawan kimonos; the specific type of kimono chosen for her is a furisode, a kimono bearing long sleeves. Yuna's dress and necklace are adorned with images of the hibiscus flower also called "yuna," and her name carries the meaning of "night" (夕な) in Okinawan, establishing a contrast between her and Tidus, whose Japanese name (ティーダ) translates to "sun" (太陽) in Okinawan. Japanese influences are also seen in Lulu's hairstyle and Auron's Samurai influences. Yoshinori has stated that the game's main theme is "journey," but that in addition there are many hidden themes. He stated the theme of family is the theme closest to his heart, because he's a father himself. Another central theme in Final Fantasy X's story is Gnosticism, a religious movement in the early church that was rejected as a heresy. Gnosticism believes human existence itself to be sinful and that the world has been created by an evil god. The word itself means "knowledge." The Gnostics believed it was this "hidden knowledge" about the world that freed them. The people of Spira believe Sin is their rightful punishment for living in sin, and that because mankind is sinful Sin is continually reborn. Death is glorified with the Summoners sacrificing themselves to summon the Final Aeon, the Aeons themselves being the spirits of the dead, and the whole concept of Farplane and the unsent. Those who don't find their way to the Farplane become twisted by the envy they feel toward the living and eventually turn into fiends. The word aeon means "age", "forever" or "for eternity". In Gnostic lore, it denotes the immaterial emanations of God. Yu Yevon itself can be viewed as the "evil god" from Gnostic lore, known as Yaldabaoth in Gnostic religions, from whom the mankind must be saved. Although Yu Yevon isn't a true god in Final Fantasy X, not having created the world and the people, but merely having created Dream Zanarkand and Sin, it is still the god worshiped in the Yevon religion. Tidus is introduced to the world as someone who can see Spira's ways of life the way they really are -- false. By getting to know Tidus and believing in his Zanarkand Yuna comes around to his way of thinking, and on the crucial moment rejects the Final Summoning as a false rite. The Gnostic belief of the "hidden knowledge" about the world being the way to save them, is represented in the game by the discovery of truth behind Sin, Yevon and the Final Summoning. Music The game's main theme "Zanarkand", heard in the beginning and in multiple other forms during the game's main events. Another prominently featured song is "Suteki da ne", played during the romantic scene between Yuna and Tidus at the lake in Macalania Woods. Many tracks also have the instrumental form of this song mixed into them, such as "Yuna's Theme" and "Spira Unplugged". Other popular songs are "Otherworld", played in the beginning of the game and during the final battle, and the "Hymn of the Fayth", sang in a different way in each temple by each Fayth, and by many characters, such as the Al Bhed and even hummed by Tidus. Development Development of Final Fantasy X began in 1999. Although Hironobu Sakaguchi showed doubts about the transition from 2D to 3D backgrounds, voice acting, and real-time storytelling, he also stated the success of the series was due to constantly changing development and trying out new things. Development for Final Fantasy X cost approximately four billion Japanese yen (approximately 32.3 million dollars) with a crew of more than 100 people, most of whom worked on previous games in the series. Final Fantasy X was initially going to incorporate online elements, which were later dropped, and added into the next title in the series, Final Fantasy XI. In a beta video shown at the Square Millennium Event in 2000, Tidus is shown having black hair, and the game appears perfectly 3D with the player being able to rotate the camera. Tidus's character model in the demo is more detailed with his clothes and hair bouncing as he moves and also fluttering in the wind. Early Beta version of ''Final Fantasy X'' 72vckLXI7x4 The Conditional Turn-Based Battle (CTB) was a new battle system replacing the Active-Time Battle (ATB) system from previous titles. The traditional World Map concept was dropped, because the developers wanted a more realistic approach, as well as realism of the game's 3D backgrounds and the animation of characters. Originally, Final Fantasy X was going to feature enemies wandering visible on the field map with seamless transition into battles allowing players to move freely around the area during enemy encounters. Battle art director Shintaro Takai has explained the intention was for the battles to come across as a natural part of the story instead of an independent element. However, due to hardware and system limitations, these ideas were not used until Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XII. Final Fantasy X uses a compromise from the original ideas, with some transitions from the field screen to battle arenas relatively seamless only with the implementation of a motion blur effect. The desire for seamless transitions also led to the implementation of the new summoning system. The characters' facial expressions were achieved through motion capture and skeletal animation technology, which allowed animators to create realistic lip movements programmed to match the speech of the game's voice actors. Scenario writer Kazushige Nojima has revealed the inclusion of voice acting enabled him to express emotion more powerfully than before, and he was therefore able to keep the storyline simple. The presence of voice actors led to various changes to the script in order to match the voice actors' personalities with the characters they were portraying. The inclusion of voice, however, led to difficulties; with the game's cutscenes already programmed around the Japanese voice work, the English localization team faced the difficulty of incorporating the translated script with the rhythm and timing of the characters' lip movements. The majority of the English dialogue was not based to the actual game footage; the only guidance the voice actors had were samples of the original Japanese dialogue, and they rarely had the opportunity to sync their dialogue with actual footage. Once the voice recording was complete, sound editors would digitally speed up or slow down the audio clips in order to fill the character's allotted speaking time for each particular line. Nojima was initially concerned with establishing a connection between the player and main character; the story was thus designed in such a way the player's progress through the world and growing knowledge about it is reflected in Tidus's narration. Voice Cast ''Final Fantasy X: International'' The International Version was released on January 31, 2002, in Japan, and later in Europe (the European release was simply titled "Final Fantasy X"). This updated version of the game has different box art for Japan, and new features, such as an Expert Sphere Grid, which allows for accessing abilities easier, but less overall stat-growth. New abilities were added to both Standard and Expert Grids. The Dark Aeons and Penance, all powerful superbosses were added, as well as many minor changes to dialogue, scenes, the Celestial Weapons' key items (Japan Only), characters and armor & weapon customizations, such as Ribbon. The release also includes a bonus disc with behind the scenes making-of features of Final Fantasy X, and a [[Eternal Calm|special movie prologue to Final Fantasy X-2]]. The European release has the the Dark Aeons and Penance, as well as the new equipment abilities, but didn't change the name of the Celestial Sigils and Crests. The game has noticeable black borders and a slower running-speed as a result of . The black label version also includes a bonus DVD with the title Beyond Final Fantasy, which includes various interviews with the game developers, as well as two of the English voice actors. Additionally, it includes trailers of various Square games, an art gallery, short biographies on Nobuo Uematsu and RIKKI, as well as a music video of RIKKI performing the song "Suteki Da Ne". Some versions of Final Fantasy X: International have a glitch whereby if the player goes to the area where they fight Dark Ifrit it is possible to slip past the men blocking the way to Home, and thus, be able to return to the story at the events in Home with Yuna in the party. This glitch can be repeated after the first time it is used. Sales and Reception Final Fantasy X received critical acclaim in the media and enjoyed high sales figures. Within four days of its release in Japan, the game had sold over 1.4 million copies in pre-orders, which set a record for the fastest-selling console RPG.[http://uk.ps2.ign.com/articles/096/096716p1.html Final Fantasy X Sells Like Crazy; World Not Shocked] Final Fantasy X has sold 6.6 million copies as of January 2004.Final Fantasy X-2 sells a million. Final Fantasy X received generally high review scores in both Japanese and western media. Critics generally praised the game's storyline, graphics and movies, although some criticised the game's dialogue and its linearity, as well as the fact that cutscenes cannot be skipped. Famitsu readers voted Final Fantasy X the best game of all time in early 2006 and Producer Shinji Hashimoto stated in 2002: "We've had a great reception from the media and already received some awards and so forth, so overall the reaction has been excellent."Interview: Square invades London Even more proof to this fact was that since May 2011; the game had sold nearly 8 million copies worldwide. Packaging Artwork Gallery Trivia *''Final Fantasy X'' is the first numbered Final Fantasy game to feature a musical score not completely credited to Nobuo Uematsu, who has written the music for Final Fantasy since its inception. The game was co-scored by Junya Nakano and Masashi Hamauzu. *In the background of the initial FMV when Tidus reaches Luca, when the camera pans down a street, the music from "I Want to be Your Canary" from Final Fantasy IX can be heard. Also, a scene before the street scene (when the camera pans the sides of some buildings) a part of "Rufus' Welcoming Ceremony" from Final Fantasy VII is played. *In Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy, Yuna sacrifices herself in order to close the Rift in Empyreal Paradox to prevent World B's destruction from Manikins' hands, mirroring Summoners' sacrifice from Final Fantasy X. External links *[http://na.square-enix.com/games/FFX/ Official North American site] *[http://www.ffx-europe.com/ Official European site] * References de:Final Fantasy X ja:ファイナルファンタジーX fr:Final Fantasy X es:Final Fantasy X Category:Final Fantasy X 10